Las Vegas

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the US state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County, located in the south of the state. The city was settled on 15 May 1905 in the middle of the Mojave Desert; it used to be a Mormon fort until it was abandoned during the 1850s. In 1911, Las Vegas became an incorporated city, and the 1931 legalization of gambling and the construction of the nearby Hoover Dam led to massive population growth in the area. After World War II, the city became home to lavish hotels, casinos, and entertainment venues, and the city grew from being an isolated desert town to an entertainment and gambling mecca. The city has been nicknamed "Sin City" for its infamous nightlife activities such as gambling and prostitution, the latter of which is illegal in Clark County, but legal in other counties. In 2015, the Las Vegas metro area had a population of 2,362,015 people.